Gigantic kitties and alligators

Well I thought Jess was large at 25 solid pounds of grey goodness. But that ain't nothin. I just read a story in the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/12/fashion/12cats.html?incamp=article_popular&pagewanted=all) about the latest animal fad: "Savannah" cats, a man-made breed that is a cross between a wildcat - the African serval - and the domestic house cat. Here is a quote from the article:

"The cats - which can cost from $4,000 to $10,000 - are visually striking with their long necks and oversized ears, and they can be intimidating. They look like little leopards and grow to more than twice the size of normal cats. They love to leap and splash in water, and they don't mind taking long walks on a leash. Some people describe them as dogs in cats' bodies."



Kick. Ass. I mean, Jess acts a lot like a dog in that he comes when called, greets me at the door, follows me around, wakes me up in the mornings, etc. But I cannot WALK him. Years ago I tried, even going so far as to purchase a harness at the pet store, but it was more of a "drag" than a "walk." Now a Savannah? Just imagine how tough I would look walking that thing around Town Lake. Who needs puppies for attention, I'd have a 50-lb CAT! And yes people, it's all about getting dates. (HA)

So anyway, this got me thinking about exotic pets. And I thought back to my ex. Friends, there were so many red flags leading up to our marriage that I am stunned, in retrospect, that I managed to ignore them all. One of them: for several months, he had a pet alligator. [beat] Yes, I said ALLIGATOR. It was a little one, but it was not a meek baby. It was a wild animal that would have eaten a cat given the opportunity (but a Savannah? I think NOT). He bought this thing from some exotic pet dealer in Houston -- it was about 2 feet long. He kept it in a large aquarium with a lid. Once a day he would take it out on a leash, just to scare his neighbors. Hey, at least we didn't live together when this was going on -- he lived in Houston and I was still at A&M, so I only saw the thing on weekends. To my credit, I was disapproving and expressed repeatedly how mean I thought it was to keep an alligator in an aquarium just for the sake of conversation. So after several months, he gave him back to the dealer. And I pretty much blocked the whole thing from my memory, until now. That was quite a big digression. But somewhat interesting, no?

The moral of this story: hug your pet today and be glad it is not scaly and will not bite your hand off or scratch your eyes out. the end.